Better East Texas: Is it too late for the Girl Scouts to step up their game?

There was a huge announcement recently by the Boy Scouts of America organization affecting potentially millions, as well as the Girl Scouts organization. The Boy Scouts are going to start admitting girls and will change the official name of the organization to Scouts BSA.

On the surface this sounds like major change but there are some carefully constructed components – but this idea still is problematic. First, local organizations get to decide what offerings they want to participate in. Next, the dens and packs of female scouts will be largely separate from identical groups made up of boys. So, there won’t be a bunch of mixed gender meetings. Campouts and other activities will offer the same separation that has been in place for decades.

But the Boy Scouts of America seem to be doing this as a move to gain membership, ultimately away from the Girl Scouts, an organization already in existence that serves girls of scouting age. The curricula are different, but you know what – boys and girls are different.

Finally, the Girl Scouts have awakened and have started offering additional activities that participants have been calling for, but it may now be too late to make a difference. Our youth need scouting – both boys and girls - but homogenizing them into a single curriculum dissolves the uniqueness of both groups and ultimately weakens the effectiveness of both experiences. Keep them as unique as boys and girls are unique, and that will make for a Better East Texas.